New jobs for retired burs
By Fabio Penuela
Setting diamonds takes a lot out of a bur, especially when it comes to the grueling task of micropavé. In my position at Knox Jewelers in Minneapolis, I set a lot of rings—some of which have up to 150 stones each. For a platinum ring with this much bling, it’s not uncommon for me to go through two to four burs until I’m done setting.
As much as I’m sure those burs would like to retire to a quiet, unused spot on my bench, I have come up with several ways to keep them employed. Here are five:
Pearl Drill
Remove the head from a worn bur and use a separating disc to shape it to resemble a flathead screwdriver. Grind it down to about the size you want to make the hole in a pearl, and then sharpen it.
Mini Burnisher
To make a great tool for bezel and flush setting, remove the head from a worn bur and sharpen it like a pencil. I use the GRS Power Hone to do this, which leaves the tip very smooth. Finish by polishing the tip with a buffing wheel. You can make burnishers of various thicknesses using this method. I love this tool for bezel and flush setting.
Mini Mandrel
Anneal the back of the bur and let it cool down, but don’t quench it. Make the steel soft enough to slice the bur in half using a 04 saw blade. The cut doesn’t have to go all the way through, just about 15 mm deep. Sharpen the sliced tip of the bur to any point or angle you desire. You can now use the mini mandrel with a small piece of sandpaper to reach into tight spots for polishing.
Pneumatic Hammer Point or Chasing Tool
Use a separating disc to cut off the tip of the bur and shape the tip exactly how you want it. Sand and polish the flat portion that is going to have contact with your bezels or prongs. Depending on the size of diamond I am shaping, I use rectangular, round, or square repurposed burs as hammering and chasing tools.
Porosity Killer
You can make a porosity-removing tool with either end of an old bur; simply choose what size would better suit your needs. Remove the end, round it, and polish it. Holding the bottom of the bur with pliers, torch-heat the tip to red hot. Use another pair of pliers to bend the tip into an L shape as close as possible to the tip. Clean it and warn any porosity in your view to watch out.